Guardians of Heaven
by Scarlet Fairie
Summary: Kirito never went into GGO. Instead, he found a different game: Guardians of Heaven Online. The newest virtual world world with magic, weapons, and quests. The perfect place for a fresh start. KiritoxAsuna
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: _  
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**_I will be attempting to update every 5-7 days, but please don't get mad if I take longer than that. _**

_Disclaimer: __Sadly, I do not own any of the characters :( If I did there would be a lot more Asuna/Kirito fluff in Season 2. All credit goes to the creators of SAO and ALO. _

"Hello to all MMORPG players! Make sure to get a copy of our newest featured MMO. It's launch time in stores is officially 15 minutes. Get in line to buy Guardians of Heaven Online before it sells out!"

The advertisement from the video game store was loud enough to hear all the way across the plaza. It made his eyes flit over to the colorful posters on the inside of the shop, before returning back to the menu.

Now, he thought, new MMOs were being made everywhere because of the Seed. It was amazing how much the virtual worlds had had expanded, and how the technology had improved. Now, you could even transfer a character from one game to another. In a way, he has made that possible by beating Kayaba Aikihiko.

"Kirito-kun, what are you going to order?" Asuna asked.

She looked much better than she had after first getting out of ALO. She was more healthy and happy, her face almost glowing with the bright aura she projected. He blinked a couple times, realizing he had not answered her question.

"I don't know, maybe a burger or something," he decided.

Asuna smiled at him before reaching across the table to take his hand. She brushed her fingers across the top of his hand gently.

"What are you going to order?" Kirito asked.

Asuna shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not really hungry."

Her eyes wandered away from his and across to the gaming store. Music was once again blasting from the speakers, but he did not recognize the song. However, he did see the wistful look in Asuna's eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, drawing her attention back to him. "Do you want to go?"

"Go where..." she trailed off.

Kirito nodded with his head. "Over to that store. They one you were looking at."

Asuna blushed a light red color. "N-no it's ok. You wanted to eat."

He smiled, amused by her blushing and stuttering. He understood why she would want to go in the store. Once MMO a player, always a MMO player, after all. Even if they had gotten stuck in a virtual reality for two years.

"Come on, let's go," he said, standing and offering her his hand.

She looked at Kirito with raised eyebrows, a small smile spreading across her face. Then, she took his hand and pulled herself up, taking a couple steps forward in the process.

"Thank you," Asuna mumbled, kissing his cheek.

He gave her a grin in return. "Anything for you, Asuna-san."

They exited the restaurant and walked across the open space holding hands. There was a huge fountain in the middle of the plaza, with children running around and playing in it.

Asuna's face lit up as she watched the little kids running around and laughing.

"I wish that Yui could join us in this world and not just the virtual one."

Kirito nodded. "So do I. And one day, she will. I know she will."

Finally, they were standing in front of the online game store. Asuna hesitated, holding onto Kirito's hand tighter. He reached for the door and opened it before pulling her into the shop after him.

They were immediately surrounded by colors and sounds. There were rows and rows of games, for both the amusphere and for regular consoles. There were also posters spread out over all the walls and windows advertising different games, some old and some new. In the corner, there was a group of kids playing a race car game together on a large monitor with multiple wires hooked up to it.

The wires and monitor reminded him of being in the hospital. Waking up and seeing all the wires attached to him had been terrifying; hearing the beeping of the machines, the whiteness of the walls. It had been even worse when Asuna was still trapped in the game. He looked away.

"Kirito-kun, come over here," Asuna called.

He looked around before finally seeing her on the other side of the store. She was looking at the rows of the virtual online games.

"Wow," Kirito said when he reached her side. "There are so many virtual worlds."

"Do you think some of them have floating castles?" Asuna asked.

He smiled at her. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

><p>They spent the next half hour roaming up and down the aisles in different directions. He found out that the store also had movies for sale, not just games. He made a mental note to remember that, so he could check them out later. There were also bean bags and various chairs in the back to sit down on and watch tv. Finally, Kirito walked back to Asuna's side. She was studying the back of a game, reading its summary on the colorful cover.<p>

She was so caught up in the description. that she did not hear him approach. Kirito wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Find anything interesting?"

She smiled, nodding her head slightly and humming in agreement. Then, Asuna handed him the cover of the game.

"Guardians of Heaven : Long ago, the human race was strong and had enough power to do anything they wanted. The humans were honorable and helped the earth and people around them. But, then some humans started misusing their power. They would fight and kill, taint the earth with blood. This angered God, so he took away the human's powers, and made them live ordinary lives. This is your chance to regain that power! Are you ready?"

"Guardians of Heaven Online," he mumbled. "GHO."

"Isn't this the game that was being advertised before? The one that just came out?" Kirito asked Asuna when he saw the featured sticker on the game.

"Mmhm," she nodded. "Do you think it sounds interesting?"

He could see the sparkle in her eyes. It was obvious that she wanted to buy or at least play the game. But he also knew she was too shy to admit it. Truthfully, he was also interested.

"It does sound fun." Kirito hesitated. "How about we buy a couple of copies. That way we can play, and so can our friends. I'm sure Sugu-chan would want to."

Asuna beamed at him. He took six copies; one for him, Asuna, Sugu, Klein, Lizbeth, and Recon. He decided not to buy copies for Agil and Silica because, most likely, they would not leave ALO. Of course everybody else was not going to try out the game, but it was better to be safe than sorry. That had been an important lesson he had learned in Sword Art Online.

He paid quickly, refusing Asuna's offer of money for some of the games.

"It's our date, so I'm paying. Anyways, I've been doing jobs around the neighborhood and saving up cash, so I have more than enough money to pay," he said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

Kirito leaned over and kissed her head gently before slipping his hand into hers as they walked out the door.

"Do you want to head back to my house? We can log in and tell our friends what we found."

"Yes!" Asuna beamed.

They left the mall and started the short walk home. Even though both of them could drive since they had their licenses, they chose not to. Many SAO survivors also did not drive. He guessed getting stuck in a game with no electronics or vehicles for years changed something in them

Soon, they reached his house. Asuna ran forward and pulled open the door before dashing inside. Kirito laughed and followed her up to his room.

She had already put both of their amuspheres on his bed, and was sitting waiting for him. He placed the bag full of games in his desk, then proceeded to lie down next to her.

They both put their head gears on at the same time.

"Are you ready?" Kirito asked.

"Of course," Asuna answered, reaching over to take his counted in sync so they could go at the same time.

1... 2... 3...now

"Link start!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Huge thanks to IcyFlameOtaku and CalciliFlame for kinda sorta betaing and helping me develop the plot. Thanks for the reviews,** **follows, and favorites. **

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own SAO or the characters. But I do own any OCs that may come along..._

ALfheim Online was beautiful. No one could deny that. It still had the fighting and action of most virtual worlds, but it was also peaceful. There were nice spots spread out in the forests. Calm places with babbling streams and soft grass that was shaded by willow trees.

Kirito and Asuna woke up at the same time next to each other. They were in a hotel room in Alme. The room was small, but nice enough.

"Do you want me to message our friends?" Asuna asked.

Kirito hesitated. "No, I will."

His finger twitched as he pulled up his menu and hit the message icon. He knew his sister was in the virtual world, so he decided to message her.

_To: Leafa-chan_

_Hey, where are you and all the guys? We want to tell you something. It's important._

_From: Kirito_

"There," he said after he sent it. "Do you want to hang out in this town until she responds?"

Asuna nodded. "Can we go sit outside? It's a beautiful day."

"Sure," Kirito agreed. He reached over to brush her hair out of her face gently.

They both stood up to take their weapons. Kirito grabbed his sword, Excalibur and strapped it in to his back. Meanwhile, Asuna picked up her rapier and put it into its sheath on her hip.

They both looked at each other at the same time.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

He nodded wordlessly, offering her his hand. She took it and pulled him to the door.

Once outside, they could see the large amount of people outside. There were all of the races: Cait Siths, Salamaders, Undines, Spriggans, Sylphs, and others milling around and interacting. There were also NPCs and the occasional navigation pixie walking around.

Asuna squeezed his hand and jumped excitedly, a huge smile on her face.

"Can we go get ice cream?" she asked, pointing at the shop across the street.

Kirito laughed. "You're just like a little kid. Of course we can."

She beamed and was about to head towards the homemade ice cream store when his message alert went off.

"It looked like Leafa-chan responded," he mumbled before opening the message.

_To: Kirito-kun_

_We are in Sylph territory in Swilvane. Klein, Recon, Lisbeth, and I were going to go fly around for a little, but we can wait for you and Asuna. Agil and Silica are here too, if you were wondering. What is this about?_

_From: Leafa_

Kirito looked up after he finished reading the message.

"They are in Swilvane," he said.

Asuna sighed, giving the ice cream shop one last glance. "Let's go."

He smiled, patting her shoulder. "Don't worry. We can buy something sweet later."

She nodded before giving him a mischievous smirk and sprinting away from him.

"Hey!" he called. "Wait up!"

She laughed and ran faster towards the tower in the center of town. It was easier to start flying from a higher elevation, so most fairies would start flying from elevated ground.

Asuna was starting on the first step when Kiriro grabbed her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to him. He rested his cheek against hers for a moment.

"You're never leaving me," he murmured.

She leaned back into him for a few seconds. "I never would leave you."

* * *

><p>"We should go," Kirito said, looking at the stairs in front of them.<p>

He grabbed Asuna's hand and started pulling her. She pouted, but followed, just as eager to meet their friends as him.

The view from the top of the tower was magnificent. The whole town spread out around them, surrounded by forests and mountains in the distance.

"Ready?" Asuna asked.

Kirito nodded. They jumped together a second later, falling before spreading their wings and soaring towards the blue sky and white sun.

The wind blew them upwards as they flew. It was an amazing feeling, the breeze on his wings.

Kirito smiled. It was his turn to fly away from her now.

"Catch up if you can!" he yelled over her shoulder.

"Hey, no fair!" Asuna called, trying to gain more speed to catch up to him.

"They didn't call me The Flash for nothing!"

He smiled. They flew silently for 10 minutes, just watching the scenery below them. Kirito smiled as he looked down at the lakes and waterfalls. He knew he would never tire of the view. It was amazing to have wings.

"Hey, I think I see them, Kirito-kun!" Asuna said as she dipped down and flew towards the town underneath them.

He followed her as she headed to the large tree on the edge of the village. There were not many people around, not counting the small mass of five or six people hanging out on the grass. They were all laying down and taking among themselves. As Kirito approached, he could make out what they were saying.

"... it looks like a bunny!" Silica declared.

Klein laughed and patted the younger girl's head. "I think it looks more like a mushroom."

She pouted and was about to say something when she saw Asuna and Kirito land. "Asuna-chan, Kirito-kun! Your're here! Yay!" she called as she ran over to them.

Asuna bent down to hug Silica as Klein, Lisbeth, Recon and Leafa walked over to Kirito and her.

"So," Leafa asked when Asuna stood back up. "What did you two want to talk about?"

Kirito and her looked at each other. Asuna nodded to say that he could explain the events of their day.

"We were out at the mall and Asuna and I decided to go into one of the video game shops. We just wanted to see what they had," he hesitated, taking a breath. "But we end up finding a really interesting game and bought some extra copies if you guys want to try it. The MMO is called Guardians of Heaven Online."

"Hey," Klein interrupted. "I've heard of that game. It does sound quite interesting. Did you buy enough copies?"

Asuna nodded. "We were planning to login in after we told you guys, so you could login in with us if you wanted to.." Sh trailed off, looking at her friends for their response.

Klein looked at the others. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm in. This game has been advertised so much, and all the beta testers have said that it is great."

"I'll try it, too," said Leafa.

Agil, Lisbeth, and Recon looked at each other uncertainly. "I would go, but I have to maintain my shop here," said Agil apologetically.

Lisbeth nodded. "I like my work as a blacksmith in this virtual world for now, but maybe later I will try the new game."

Silica frowned. "Well I can't go, or at least not now. My parents said they only want me playing one MMORPG at a time. And I don't want to leave ALfheim."

"I can't do it either," Recon sighed. "I barely have enough time to enter this world, let alone another one."

"We'll, I'm glad that at least two of you are coming!" Asuna said, excited. "It's going to be a lot of fun!" She jumped a little as she stated that, wanting to go and start right away. The wind blew her hair as she landed, and it flew over her shoulders and covered her eyes.

Kirito laughed. "So, do you want to log out come over to my house now?" he asked Klein. "That way I can give you the game now."

"I will log out too," added Leafa after Klein nodded his agreement.

Asuna, Kirito, Klein, and Leafa all pulled up their menus and hit the 'opinions' icon. After saying byes to the rest of their friends, they all hit the log out button simultaneously.

Kirito blinked a couple times so his eyes could ajust to the darkness in his room. He sat up and pulled of his head gear, while Asuna did the same. Wordlessly, he took both of their amuspheres and placed them on his bedside table.

"Do you want to go wait in the kitchen? Klein should be here soon." Kirito asked her.

Asuna nodded. "Mmhm."

She grabbed four of the games they purchased and walked towards the living room. They sat at the table together, and soon Sugu came out of her room, rubbing her eyes. When she walked in the room, her eyes immediately went to the MMOs on the table.

"Is this the game?" she asked, not waiting for an answer but instead picking one up and reading the summary.

Suguha was halfway through reading it when the doorbell rang.

"That's Klein," Asuna said. "I'll get the door."

She walked out of the room to unlock and open the door. A few moments later she returned with the brown haired swordsman following her.

He smiled at Kirito and Sugu before picked the CD up off the table. "It's too late for us to log in now, even if we transfer our avatars," he pointed out, looking at the time. 7:00 pm.

"How about tommorow at 9:00 we all log in and meet at the center town?" Kirito suggested.

They all looked at each other and nodded. Tommorow at 9:00. He couldn't wait.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Wow, I don't know what to say. This chapter was enjoyable to write, and it flowed so naturally. I hope everyone likes it. Thank you**!

_Disclaimer: Tragically I do not own Kirito, Asuna, or any of the ideas used in SAO. All credit goes to Reki Kawahata._

_The sky was translucent pink and spread out all around him, surrounding the boy on all sides. He was on a raised platform, looking down on everyone else. No, that wasn't right. He was in the sky. Was he a game maker?_

_Kirito looked down at the people below him, his aerial view allowing him to see miles away in the distance. But then, something caught his eye directly under him. There were two kids, a girl and a boy, standing on the edge on the bridge. They were holding hands. He bent down, trying the get a closer view of the two children. The girl had tears streaming down her face._

_"I'm sorry, Onii-chan, but I brought you here to say goodbye. I can't do it any more."_

_The boy looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"_

_"I'm sorry brother. I love you," the girl whispered._

_The boy reached forward as if to touch her. But, she had already taken a step forward and hurled herself over the edge of the bridge. Within seconds an explosion of blue appeared, and the girl was gone._

* * *

><p>Kirito awoke, and sat straight up, a cold sweat covering his body. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his irregular heartbeat. It was just a dream, he thought, just a dream.<p>

Asuna was sleeping next to him, her face peaceful. The clock was glowing behind her. It was 8:25. He sighed, and ran his hand through his hair to brush it down. It was the perfect time to wake up because he would have enough time to eat breakfast and prepare to enter the new virtual world at 9:00.

"Asuna, wake up." Kirito whispered, kissing her temple.

She opened one eye and blinked in confusion. "Kirito?" she asked, her voice thick with drowsiness.

"It's time to get up," he said, a smile forming on his face. "We need to eat before we log into GHO."

When he said that she opened both of her eyes, excitement passing over her face. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning slightly.

"Let's get up. I will make breakfast while you wake up Sugu-chan."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Ok."

He rolled off the bed first, and shivered slightly. He grabbed two sweatshirts from his closet and handed Asuna one. She pulled it on before sliding her legs out from underneath the covers and standing.

"I'll put the frozen waffles we have in the toaster," she mumbled as she slipped on her light pink slippers.

They left his room together and Kirito walked down the hall to his sister's room.

"Are you awake?" he asked, knocking and then opening her door.

The black haired girl was lying on her back and hugging a pillow. "Go away," she mumbled, tightening her hold on the soft object.

He chuckled. "Asuna is defrosting waffles. Just thought I should tell you that. ... And that it's 8:40."

Sugu froze before throwing off her blankets and leaping off her mattress. She checked the clock to make sure her brother wasn't lying before rushing to the kitchen. She stopped in her doorway for a second to hug Kirito.

"Thank you for waking me Onii-chan," she murmured in his ear.

She then brushed past him and he heard her say hello to Asuna in the other room. Closing the door behind him, he exited her room.

Asuna had already placed the plates with waffles on the kitchen table. They all sat down and wordlessly agreed to eat quickly so they could set up GHO. The waffles were finished in minutes, and Kirito brought the plates to the sink.

"Well, I guess we'll all see each other in the game soon," said Asuna cheerfully.

Kirito mumbled his agreement as Suguha left to go to her room. He then turned to Asuna. "I will put the game in our servers, okay?"

She nodded, "Be right there."

Kirito walked to his room alone, his feet quiet on the wood floors. Once inside, he didn't bother turning on the lights. Instead he just grabbed the games and took the CDs out, inserting them in the server.

Then, he layes down on the bed and placed his amusphere on his head. Kirito wondered if he should wait for Asuna, then he saw the time. It was 8:59. Hesitantly, he whispered the words, hoping that she would come soon.

"Link start!"

* * *

><p>He was shooting through a tunnel, colors flashing around his body in a mismatched rainbow. After a few seconds he landed on his feet in a black room. A female voice started talking once Kirito looked around.<p>

"Please enter your name for your avatar, gender, and any other MMOs you have played if you would like to transfer a character," the voice stated.

A keyboard and screen appeared in front of him so he could type his answers.

_Name: Kirito_

_Gender: Male_

_Previous Games: Sword Art Online, ALfheim Online_

He hit enter and waited for the information to load.

"Would you like to keep your avatar from Swort Art Online or ALfheim Online?" Kirito jumped at the woman's voice.

He thought for a second before choosing his SAO character out of the two options. He was comfortable in his own body unlike some people. As soon as he hit accept, another screen appeared in front of him.

He did not flinch this time when the voice explained, "Now you must choose your starting weapon."

Kirito looked at the options. There was only three of them. A basic sword, a rapier, and a dagger. All average blades with no bonuses. He chose the weapon he always used: a sword.

Nothing was said after he chose the weapon, and Kirito wondered if the log in process was done. But then he remembered the tutorial.

"GHO has 100 floors," the voice started. "You will start on the first floor in the Town of Blissful Horizons. To move up a floor, you must complete the main quest or challenge. There are minor quests to do for coins. Each time you move up a floor, you will get a bonus such as a weapon or special skill."

The screen popped up in front of him again.

_End Tutorial: Yes_

Kirito was surprised when the login process didn't start right away.

"One reminder before you are transported into the game is to exit the MMO every few hours. The food eaten in the game can sustain your real body, as can the sleep you get. However, it is recommended to log out after extended periods of time."

Then the voice stopped and the room was silent. The game was loading.

_Data accepted. Commencing log-in now._

Nothing was happening. Kirito was still standing in the darkness of the room. Was something wrong?

Suddenly the ground fell away, and he was falling into a black hole. The uncontrolled descent continued for a few seconds.

Kirito was facing downwards as he tumbled through space. He could see a wall that enclosed the sprawling town below. Outside the wall on one side, the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. To the right, there were trees covering acres of land.

Kirito managed to straighten himself so he was heading towards the ground feet first. As he began to see some of the people below, his descent slowed, then stopped completely.

He was floating in mid-air.

But just as soon as he had stopped moving, he felt his clothes being tugged in all directions. His vision blurred, and he was weightless.

That feeling lasted for less than a second.

Kirito felt his knees buckle when he hit solid ground. Reaching around, he propped himself up against a wall, disoriented.

"Wow," he whispered once his vision cleared and the ground stopped spinning.

He was looking at the buildings surrounding him. The architecture was beautiful with thick columns remiscent of Ancient Greece, and structures made completely of stone. If the design was this realistic on the first floor, this game must be amazing.

Kirito turned around to see what he was leaning against. But what he saw in the glass caught his attention.

His reflection.

He had expected his avatar to change slightly because he had changed games. And really, the change was not too visible. It was just some small details.

Kirito now had navy blue hair instead of black, though it was the same length and cut. His dark eyes also had flecks of silver in them.

"I still have the same body type," he mumbled to himself. Lithe and muscular. "These clothes are different, but I knew that would happen."

Instead of his usual all black outfit, Kirito was wearing dark blue pants and a white v-neck. He also had a black leather jacket on, which was a surprisingly nice quality. Maybe it was a starting gift like the mirror had been in SAO.

Kirito knew he should probably go find the center of town and wait there for his friends. He hesitated, uncertain of which way to go. Finally, he spotted a girl standing nearby scrolling through her menu.

The girl had short sky colored hair and a thoughtful look on her face. He walked up to her awkwardly.

"Excuse me, do you know where the town center is?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**So grateful for my reviews and readers! Love you all. Thank you especially to TheGreatWhiteNortherner, UltimatePJOFan, and Aoife XP. Btw, if the beginning of this chapter seems like it, there will be no Kirito/Sinon romance, only friendship**.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online or any of the other games. I only take credit for Guardians of Heaven Online._

~Floor 1: Town of Blissful Horizons~

_"Excuse me, do you know where the town center is?"_

The girl was quite pretty. Kirito noticed that after he approached her. But she also looked annoyed at him. Her eyes traveled down and over his clothes, her expression changing slightly.

"Did you just create your account?" she asked.

Kirito nodded, deciding not to mention that he transferred his avatar from SAO. "Yeah, I just logged in. This place is designed well, but I'm a little lost."

The girl studied him, still looking slightly irritated. Finally she sighed and said, "Do you want me to bring you to main square?"

"Yes, thank you so much!" Kirito smiled, relieved.

The girl motioned for him to come, her icy blue hair covering her face for a second. Then, she started walking down the street at a brisk pace.

"Wait!" he called. "I don't know your name. Mine's Kirito."

She reluctantly turned around to speak, her eyes showing a little suspicion. Most guys who asked her name just wanted to flirt with her.

"It's Sinon."

By the time she answered his question, Kirito had caught up and was standing next to her.

When he got closer he noticed that she looked young, or at least younger than him.

But he didn't want to seem rude by asking.

"So," he started once they began walking again. "Did you log in to GHO yesterday when it first came out?"

"Yes," she nodded. "But, I was a beta tester in its trial phase, so I know my way around."

Kirito raised his eyebrows, surprised. She didn't seem like the kind of girl to be obsessed with video games. But then again, he hadn't met her in the real world. "How many floors did you beat?"

"I only got to floor nine, but I received the most bonuses and added skills out of all the beta testers," she stated proudly.

"Nice," Kirito commented. "It must have been cool to have been chosen out of thousands of people."

Sinon nodded. "It was."

They walked together in silence for a while, and Kirito took in his surroundings. Like he had noticed before, most of the building were made of stone. They had carvings and small statues engraved in the walls. There were also olive trees and rose bushes spread around adding splashes of color to the town.

After about ten minutes, they reached to center of town. It was a large square with a statue of Zeus in the middle. There was benches spread around the god's statue in the shade.

Sinon stopped where the buildings ended. "Well, it was nice to meet you," she said.

Kirito hesitated, an idea occurring to him. "If you want you can join our group at least until we complete this floor. We could use a beta tester in our group. I'm sure nobody would mind."

She looked at him, surprised but grateful. "Okay."

* * *

><p>They sat together on a bench to the right of the statue and talked idly. Sinon explained more special skills in Guardians of Heaven.<p>

"...they say that once you get past a certain level, you can take your action bonuses and become a samurai with increased speed or a warrior with amazing battle skills."

Kirito nodded and was about to ask another question when a movement caught his eye. He looked up to see Asuna-san and Leafa-chan walking towards him and Sinon. He jumped up and walked over to them.

Like him, both their avatars had changed slightly.

He noticed Asuna first. Her hair, instead of its usual golden red color, was now a golden brown almost bronze color. She was also wearing a green and white dress with a silver rapier strapped to her left hip.

The most obvious change in Leafa's avatar was her eye color. Now it was a bright shade of violet instead of a cat green. Her hair was still blond, though it was a little shorter than before, only reaching slightly past her shoulders.

Kirito stepped forward and hugged both of them. "What took you guys so long?"

Asuna laughed, exchanging a glance with Leafa. "It's a long story. Basically, I was more than a little lost, and I started walking the opposite direction from here. After awhile I went into a store and she," Asuna nudged her platinum haired friend, "was asking directions from the shopkeeper. Then when we were walking here we saw this really adorable puppy and.."

"We got sidetracked." Leafa cut her off.

Kirito chuckled, amused at their rambling. He looked behind him at Sinon, who was chewing on her lip. He waved for her to come over to them.

"Sinon, these are my friends I was talking about. This is Asuna, my girlfriend," he wrapped his arm around the golden bronze haired girl. "And this is my sister, Leafa-chan."

They smiled at the short blue-hair girl. She looked shyly back at them.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Sinon," she mumbled, letting her hair cover her face.

"Sinon helped me find this place," he explained. "Anyway, have either of you seen Klein on your way?"

His sister raised an eyebrow at him. "No, we saw him, but just decided to leave him and see if he could find his way here on his own," she said sarcastically.

Kirito sighed, point taken. But how were they going to find Klein?

"Noo!" A loud yell interrupted his thoughts. A thump followed as a brown-haired man fell on the ground after tripping on a crack in the ground. It was, of course, Klein. "Need..to run.. from the evil NPC," he gasped out.

Kirito, Asuna, and Sugu all turned to face the tunic-clothed man that was following behind their friend. The NPC walked over to Klein and stood behind him, while he lay frozen on the ground. "I don't want to die."

Suddenly Sinon burst into laughter. The sound echoed slightly in the open space.

"He is not trying to kill you," she explained after taking deep breaths to calm down, though she was still smiling. "He is giving you your first quest."

Klein looked confused at both her statement and the fact that she was explaining this to him.

Kirito stepped forward to give his friend a hand up. "Sinon," he pointed to the unfamiliar girl, "is going to be joining our group for a little while. She was a beta tester."

Klein nodded and said hello to her before turning around to face the NPC who was waiting behind him. He then noticed the gold symbol hovering in the air.

"Hello," he stated uncertainly.

"Nice to meet you," the man responded. "I was wondering if you would help me with something. My son's gold ring that he was going to give his fiancé was stolen from him. He is quite distraught, but I can not buy the gold to make a new ring. The only place to find it is inside the Manticore's lair in the forest. Will you retrieve the gold for me?"

_Accept quest: Yes_

The NPC thanked him before turning around and leaving. They all watched him go with one comprehensive feeling, excitement.

"So, a manticore," commented Kirito. "Sounds fun."

Asuna's eyes shined, this was their first quest in Guardians of Heaven Online. "Do you know where the hideout is?"

"It's actually nearby, only slightly north of us in the woods," Sinon answered.

"Great! Let's go!" Klein called over his shoulder as he stated jogging in the direction she had mentioned. They all chased after him, running through side streets and passing beautiful buildings with Sinon guiding them.

* * *

><p>"So this is it," Leafa mumbled, staring at the entrance of the dark cave with wide eyes.<p>

"We must have to go in to trigger the monster's attack mode," Kirito said to himself. He then turned to the rest of their small group.

A grin spread across his face. "Let's do this quest!"

They all drew their weapons and walked into the enclosed solace together. At the end of the cave, there was a glowing light. Soon they could see that the light was actually piles of gold.

But, there was a shape blocking their path to the gold. It was a huge, with a lion's body and paws the size of bricks. But the most terrifying part was the Manticore's face. It was a human face with rows of sharp teeth.

"Let's try go around it," Kirito mouthed.

They crept around on either side with Kirito and Asuna together. Klein, Leafa, and Sinon hugged the opposite cave wall. Kirito slowed his breathing.

Inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale.

He saw the line on the ground too late to stop Asuna from crossing it. They both froze and stared at the manticore while their friends continued walking, unaware. Slowly, it opened one large red eye. They had no other choice.

"Run!" Asuna yelled to their friends who had finally noticed the monster was awake. "Get the material for the quest. We will handle the manticore."

Kirito and her ran in front of the beast, ready to fight together. Just like old times. The only difference was that it was okay to die in this game. But they weren't going to die. They were going to make it to heaven.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Hi anonymous friends! If you get the Devil Survivor 2 reference in the beginning you're awesome. And if you wouldn't mind, check out my Soul Eater fanfic I will be posting soon. Please R&R!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own SAO, but if I did there would be 20,000 more episodes and no time lapses._

The manticore opened both of its ruby eyes. It let out a low growling noise that sounded half human half animal. The monster's razor sharp teeth glinted in the darkness.

Kirito turned to Asuna, a smirk on his determined face. "Are you ready?"

"Always," she responded.

He turned and stood in an offensive stance with his sword prepared to fight. His vision narrowed, ready for battle. They were going to win. "Let's survive!"

Kirito moved first. The monster was standing and snarling, drool dripping out of its jaws. He ran at the mythological creature, aiming to stab it in the chest.

That's not what happened. Instead the beast jumped to avoid his sword, and rounded back on Kirito ready to attack.

"Oh no you don't. Haven't you heard of not hurting someone when their back is turned?" Asuna yelled to get the manticore's attention. He turned around to face her, lashing his long spiked tail.

As soon as the monster's attention was elsewhere, Kirito leaped and slashed at him quickly. A long red cut ran down its side when it let out a howl of pain.

Asuna ran to on the opposite side of the sword user so they could cause the maximum damage at the same time. Finally, she pierced the creature's foot with her rapier, making it stumble and fall. With a final yell, Kirito leaped up and brought his sword down on its head. "Gotcha!"

There was a flash of white light and the manticore was gone, replaced by a message screen.

_Congratulations Kirito! You get the final attack bonus. Your prize is the blossom of a Skullcap flower. It has rejuvenating powers to be used during a battle._

The object was automatically transferred to his 'Items' list on his menu. He was glad to have something there.

"Nice," Klein said. "Always the one to get the last shot."

Kirito rolled his eyes at his friend. "Is everyone ready to go?" he asked, making eye contact with everyone in their group.

One they all muttered their agreement Sinon stepped forward and said she could lead them back to town. "It will be faster that way."

None of them disagreed, and instead they all chose to walk silently back to the city wall. Kirito still felt slightly tired as they aproaches the gates, though the feeling was fading.

"I know the way to the store of the NPC who gave me the quest." Klein explained as he took the lead in their party of five.

He made a right turn into the town before walking for blocks down a street. Shops owned by non-players and RPG characters were on both sides. Kirito watched as they passed book shops, restaurants, trade shops, and weapons stores. He made a mental note to stop at one later to buy a better sword.

Kirito realized that they had stopped a second after everyone else. He had already drifted a few paces away from the group.

Asuna laughed. "Baka," she mumbled in his ear.

Klein entered the shop first, with everyone following him. It was actually a small jewelry store that had many types of precious stones. He approached the front counter, taking the gold out of his storage.

"I have retrieved the metal for your son's ring," he said the phrase to initiate the ending of the quest.

The NPC accepted the block of gold and ended the quest by saying, "Thank you for doing this for me and my family. We are in your debt. Would you like any food or water?"

Klein gave the standard answer, "No thank you."

"I will give you an antidote crystal for your help," the man finished.

Then, the green crystal appeared floating in front of Klein. He accepted the gift and added it to his items list.

The NPC walked to the back of his store, and Klein turned to face his friends. "So, now what?"

* * *

><p>"Wow, the view from up here really is great," Leafa said from her perch at the top of the hill. She was looking down at the Greek-themed town and blue ocean in the distance, being the first one to defeat the bull she had been fighting.<p>

They had gone to some of the designated beast-killing areas to gain as many coins as they could. The one they were currently fighting on was directly north of the Town of Blissful Horizons.

Asuna and Sinon killed the final bull they battled together, and walked to where Leafa was standing.

"You're right, it is beautiful up here," said Asuna.

The sun was setting, casting light over the rippling water. The sky was a light mix of pink, orange, and blue.

Kirito and Klein walked over to join them, putting away their weapons.

"I can see why they call it the Town of Blissful Horizons," Kirito commented. "This is one of the most colorful sunsets I have ever seen."

They stood in a line next to each other. Asuna reached and took Kirito's hand, squeezing gently. He smiled and pulled her closer to him.

After a few minutes of just standing and watch the sunset, Kirito turned to gaze at his friends. They just looked so peaceful, that he knew entering GHO had been a good decision.

"So," Asuna started, breaking the calm silence. "Who wants to go and buy better weapons?"

Immediately, three hands went up in the air. Sinon raised her eyebrows, knowing they could not have enough coins to even get a good update on their old weapons.

She bite her lip unsure if she should speak. "Umm... I'm sorry but none of you will have enough coins to buy a new weapon."

Kirito chuckled. "That's not a problem," he told Sinon. "Don't worry about it."

They all walked down the hill and to the north entrance of the town. As soon as they were all inside the gates, he made a left turn and stopped at the first weapon selling shop he saw.

Kirito held the door open and waited for everyone to enter before he did. There was a tall black-haired man behind the check out counter. The name on his tag was: Satoshi

"Hello, can I help you?" the man asked.

Asuna stepped forward. "I want to buy a new rapier, preferable a forged titanium one that is strengthened with steel."

"Hmm," Satoshi mused, walking out from behind the register and walking towards the back of the store. He picked up a long rapier with a beautifully engraved gold and green hilt. "Try this," he said, handing her the weapon.

She took a few steps backwards befor getting into a fighting stance. The rapier was well-made and lightweight, easily cutting through the air.

"I'll take it," she declared.

The store owner nodded. "Is that all?"

Kirito hurriedly stepped in front of the man. "I'm looking for a new sword. Preferably around a level 80 caliber type."

Behind him, Klein smiled at his friend's abilities. Sinon stared in shock, how powerful was this man she had just met?

"L-level 80?" Satoshi stuttered. "I might have something like that..."

He walked back around his counter and reached below the cover. He pulled out a large silver sword, which looked heavy and was made of solid steel.

"This is a level 70. It's called the Black Blade," the shop owner handed the blade to Kirito with shaking hands. "It's the best I've got."

Kirito weighed the sword in his hands and swung it a couple times before nodding. "This will do. How much?"

The man swallowed. "That will be 1000 coins for the sword and 600 for the rapier."

Asuna and Kirito both pulled up their menus to transfer the money to buy their new weapons. Though, it barely made a dent in their coin storage. Two years was a long time to save up in-game money.

After they purchased the items and thanked the store owner, their small group wandered back outside to the darkening streets.

Sinon stopped and opened her mouth, not sure what to ask.

Asuna, Kirito, Klein, and Leafa exchanged a glance. "We were some of the players trapped in Sword Art Online. Well, Leafa-chan wasn't, but she was with us in ALfheim Online later," Kirito told her before she could form her words.

Sinon's eyes widened in surprise. That was obviously not what she had expected to hear.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, feeling bad for prying.

Asuna shook her head. "There is nothing to be sorry about. It's not good to withhold the truth from friends."

She looked up at the sky, stars spread across the expanse of space high above their heads.

"It's getting pretty late," Leafa pointed out. "Maybe we should log out and meet again tomorrow?"

"That's a good idea," said Kirito. "I'm going to head to bed. Sayonara."

He hit the log out icon and disappeared from the game. Soon, everyone had exited their accounts too. Most people who stayed in GHO overnight were asleep already. The only things left outside were the forest, ocean, and the bright, full moon.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**Ok so my least favorite thing about SAO is the times skips. And yet here I am, doing the same thing. But I'm going to try and incorporate flashbacks or memories. Please favorite, follow, and give feedback**.

_Disclaimer: I don't own SAO anime or manga disappointingly. And I give partial credit to CalciliFlame for help with the village names._

~Floor Four: Town of Golden Meadows~

"Hurry up, we want to complete the main challenge by noon so we can head up to Floor Five!"

Klein's voice snapped Kirito out of his daze. He had been thinking about the levels their small group had already conquered. It had only been two short weeks since they first logged in.

In that time, they had decided to form a party so they could change floors together. And, Sinon had decided to travel and fight with them in GHO.

Kirito walked faster to keep up with Asuna in the back. His mind wandered back the the two floors the had just passed. The second floor had been...interesting.

It was called the Town of Snowing Highlands. There had been many fillings hills and uneven land. It had actually been cold enough that Kirito had purchased a jacket, though Asuna wore it most of the time. The final quest had been quite fun though.

The objective was to enter a the snow leopard's underground lair, and kill them. Intruging was the best word to describe fighting animals instead of other people or NPCs. In many ways it was a lot easier, because animals did not have the same mental capacity as humans. But instead of swords or guns, they had claws and fangs.

_Jump, run, dodge the huge paws swiping at him. It was the same techniques over and over until he could find an opening to attack. When he saw it, Kirito accelerated froward and leaped over the ice cat and landed on its back. Time to be destroyed._

The third floor had been his favorite so far. It had been Japanese-themed, and looked extremely realistic. The main village was named the Town of Ryuu, or Town of Dragons in English. He remembered first thing Asuna said when they first arrived.

"This place reminds me of my mom. She always said she wanted to visit Japan before she died. I've always wanted to visit the country, too. Now I have."

Asuna didn't mention her mom often, but from what she did say he could tell that they had been very close before her death.

Moments like that made Kirito realized the true value of virtual online games. It was the opportunities they provided, the adventures, the friendships.

He smiled at the memory. Right now him, Asuna, Leafa, Klein, and Sinon were heading to the everlasting tree in the center of the Town of Golden Meadows. Their main challenge awaited them in the high branches. Suddenly, Kirito realized that they were only a few hundred feet away from the large sapling.

Sinon approached the tree first, once they were in front of it. She placed her hand on the bark to see if it would trigger their quest. It did.

"Hello player Sinon and party members," a monotone voice said. "Do you want to try the riddle?"

"Yes," she answered. So the challenge was a word game. As usual, a message popped up on front of the tree. They all crowded around to read it. The screen said:

_You will find him in the mountains_

_And you'll find him in the creek_

_He has no mouth -_

_Yet he speaks every tongue_

_He has no ears -_

_Yet he will answer every cry_

_Always having the final word_

Kirito sighed, wrinkling his forehead. He was not good with riddles. What was the answer?

Could it be a stone? There were rocks in the mountains and in streams. But they didn't speak every tongue, whatever that meant.

He looked around at the members of his party. They all had similar expressions of frustration and confusion on their faces. Leafa-chan was chewing on her lip. Klein was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Asuna and Sinon were both staring at the tree, thinking.

After a few minutes, Asuna's eyes widened in realization and she jumped up and down, motioning for everyone to come over to her.

"It think I know what the solution to the riddle is!"

Their small group looked at her expectantly.

"It's an echo," she exclaimed. "An echo is in the mountains and creek, doesn't have a mouth or ears, but still speaks every language and will always have the last word."

Kirito nodded, impressed. She was right of course. The answer was echoes.

Asuna stepped up the message board, and clicked on the spot where they were supposed to type their answer. A keyboard emerged.

_Answer: an echo_

She hit enter, and a spinning circle covered the screen. It was loading.

Finally the information was entered.

"You are correct," the program's voice said. "Now, you will be able to enter Floor Five. Each individual in your group will get a prize for completing this level. Your item is a Small Item Storage Device (SISD). It is used for saving objects such as rings and powerful gems."

Kirito and Asuna exchanged a glance. It sounded like the perfect place to save Yui's Heart in Guardians of Heaven Online. And it was given the them for free.

Right after the items were transferred, the message disappeared, leaving only the tree in front of them. They all received notifications to progress to Floor Five at the same time.

"Shall we go?" Leafa asked.

They were unanimous in their agreement. Each new floor, each new quest to try was addicting.

"Fifth Level teleport!"

* * *

><p>~Floor Five: Town of Infinte Duels~<p>

The fifth floor was a safe level. That meant that players could not be killed on that floor in fights. It also meant that there was a lot of fighting.

Kirito looked around his surroundings. They had teleported next to what appeared to be a duel ring.

It was basically a clearing with a smaller circle in the middle roped off. It was quite simple, any weapons could be used, but any magic skills were forbiden. Of course, barely any players had magic abilities at this level.

"So, where do you guys want to go to first?" Kirito asked his friends.

Sinon raised her hand slowly, still slightly shy around her partly-members. "Can we go have a snack? I'm sort of hungry."

Kirito grinned, the corners of his mouth turning up. "Sure, I think we're ready to eat." When he said this, Asuna, Klein, and Leafa nodded. "But, please don't raise your hand if you want to speak. It feels weird."

Sinon laughed and agreed.

"Should we ask someone where we can find a place to eat?" Asuna suggested.

When no one said anything against her suggestion, Klein stepped forward and squared his shoulders. "I, being the kind and brave man I am, will sacrifice my pride and go ask that hot woman over there where the nearest resuarant is."

Leafa snorted as he walked away. "It's not his kindness or braveness that is controlling him. It's that woman's body."

Kirito wrapped his arms around Asuna and pulled her into a hug. He knew his best friend was a player, but really couldn't blame Klein. They had lost so much of their lives in SAO. But they had also done so much living in the game, and he could never regret it.

The brown-haired man returned a minuetes later with directions, a huge smile, and a smudge of lipstick on his cheek.

"There is a pub nearby called The White Hart, that has burgers and fries and stuff."

Leafa smirked. "That sounds good. Lead us there, oh fearless and kind man."

Klein sighed but obliged, walking the opposite direction from fighting ring. They were all quick to follow, and marveled at the online town at the same time.

It looked exactly like a medieval village complete with guard towers and fortified buildings. There were shields with crests that hung on most walls. Even the clothing that people were wearing looked from long ago, maybe the 5th to 10th century.

Finally, their group reached the restaurant. On top of the door was a big sign that read: The White Hart.

Kirito could hear the sounds of boisterous laughter and the clanking of mugs from the bar. There was a large group of men sitting and drinking beer while talking loudly. They looked up when the party of five entered.

Grabbing Asuna's hand on one side and Sinon's hand on the other, Kirito quickly led them to the back of the pub. Klein did the same with Leafa, and Kirito made a note to talk to his friend about that later. No one touched his sister if he had a say in it. But for now he definitely wanted to avoid any confrontations with drunk players.

Less than a minute later, the waitress walked up to their booth and gave them the their menus and waters.

"Hmm," Asuna mumbled after she left, examining the items on the list. "Do you think the..."

She trailed off and looked past Kirito. He saw the hint of fear on her face and turned quickly to see a man approaching their table. The male player looked young, about 14, but he was muscular and tall. But the look on his face scared her the most.

"Hey!" he interrupted, looking straight at Asuna. "I recognize you! You were one of the leaders in The Knights of the Blood Oath."

She froze, not sure how to respond the the accusation. He was talking about Sword Art Online. Kirito leaned forward to get in the man's line of vision, protecting his girlfriend.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

The boy stared at him with angry eyes. "You were in the guild, too!" He took a step closer to their table, which caused everyone to tense up.

"I bet you all were part of that useless cowardly guild. Well let me tell you something. We will _never_ forgive you!"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Yeah, so most of this seems like fluff, but it's very important to the plot of my story. Hope you like the OCs I've started creating. To YuliKoiiLiam, you're right that they were always in Japan, I forgot. Again, sorry for time skips**.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online, or the Hunger Games reference._

~Floor Ten: Town of Wandering Forests~

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when again they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

Asuna sang softly, running her hand through Kirito's hair. He chuckled and brought his hand up to hold hers.

"We are not in a meadow," he pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter, you baka. Don't you get the message of the song?"

"Umm..sleeping outside is safe?"

She slapped his cheek lightly. "You know what it is."

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I do. I love you, too." He sat up to give her a quick kiss.

They had been resting in the shade of the the trees, which were mostly beech and aspen. Napping and wasting time was all they had done that day so far. Not very productive.

In that moment, a dove flew in front of Kirito and Asuna. The bird landed on the short grass and folded its wings against its body. Asuna leaned foreward, cooing softly.

"Aww, you're so pretty," she murmured, reaching her hand out towards the bird.

It flinched away before moving closer to Asuna. The dove pecked at her hand, and jumped onto it. Asuna slowly brough the small animal closer to her body, until it was sitting on her lap.

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly," Kirito commented. The statement was fitting.

Asuna smiled and held her hand out so the small creature could soar away.

"Quoting poetry now, are we?"

He shrugged. "This place is full of dreams that I wish could always be."

After saying this, Kirito stood up and offered Asuna his hand. She took it and pulled herself up, her momentum carrying her past him a bit.

"We should go find Sinon. Since Leafa-chan and Klein-kun aren't going to come today, we promised her we would help with the quest she wanted to do," Kirito reminded her.

Asuna thought for a second. "Where did Sinon say she would meet us? I don't remember."

Kirito shook his head. "I don't know."

"I'll sent a message, then."

_To: Sinon_

_Hey, where do you want to meet us?_

_From: Asuna-san_

After sending the message, she chuckled slightly. "I have the strangest feeling of déjà-vu."

Kirito smirked at her. "Do you want to wait here until she replies?"

Then, a ping sounded and interrupted Asuna as she started to answer. "I guess we are not going to be waiting long," she said, opening the message.

_To: Asuna_

_I'm by the lake in the center of the forest._

_From: Sinon_

"Let's go, she must be by the pier."

* * *

><p>It was a particularly sunny day on the tenth floor, though it was always warm. People were splashing in the shallows of the water, while others were laying on chairs and tanning.<p>

When Kirito and Asuna walked up the the edge of the water, a girl stood up and skipped towards them. As Sinon got closer, they could see the beaming look that covered her face. She was obviously excited for he quest, whatever it was for.

"I'm so glad you guys came to help me. Thank you so much!" She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

"It wasn't a problem," Kirito said. "What is this particular challenge for?"

Sinon smiled secretively. "A special weapon that I have to get."

She reached up and brushed her light blue hair out of her face, slightly embarrassed by her excitement. But she was so anxious to go, that she could not step quiet for any longer. "Do you two want to do anything before we go, or can we start the quest now?"

Asuna shook her head, and looked at Kirito. "Nope, we are ready to go."

Sinon grinned childishly, then scampered away from them and into the forest. They chased after her, calling to slow down. She finally stopped about 100 paces from the lake and waited for them to catch up.

"The quest starts at Angel Falls," she explained.

Kirito looked at her, surprised. What kind of weapon was she going to retrieve at a waterfall? But he didn't asked, he would find out soon enough.

The Wandering Forest was huge. It was called that name back of how easy it would be to get lost if there was not a map in the menu. It was also very green, packed right with trees and bushes. There was also the occasional stream here or there.

Asuna, Kirito and Sinon walked mostly in comfortable silent. After half and hour of walking, they started to hear the sound of the waterfall.

"We are almost there!" Sinon exclaimed, and increased her speed.

Soon, they reached the wall of thundering water. It was flowing down into a large pool, which was bubbling and frothy. On the side of the falls, there was a small path that lead behind the cascading water.

Sinon immediately headed towards the dark path that led into the cave. Kirito rushed after her, with Asuna following.

The inside of the cavern was a silver color, with the only lighting shinning through the waterfall and gaps on the side. Kirito looked around and waited for something. Sinon stared in the direction they had came from, watching the entrance.

Suddenly, a group of players jumped through the stream of water and into the cave. Or maybe they were programs, and not actual people. Either way, the virtual people started attaching the small party of three.

Asuna dogged a dagger thrown at her head, while Sinon jumped over a spear thrown at her. Dodge, jump, run, duck. This continues for a few minutes before Sinon managed to get close to one of the programmed NPCs. She pulled out her own dagger and quickly stabbed the non-player. It disappeared into shards of light along with the other members of its group. The only things left were the weapons lying in the ground.

Sinon jogged over to a pile of weapons by the edge of the cave. She bent down and picked up a long, thin stick.

When she walked back towards Kirito and Asuna, he could see that she was actually holding a bow. It was silver and strung tightly, ready to be used.

"This is the reason I wanted to go on this quest," she told them.

Kirito frowned. "I thought you only made it to Floor Nine. How did you know this was here?"

Sinon grinned sheepishly. "I was not certain it was here, actually. This whole battle could have been for nothing. Sorry," she apologized.

Asuna shook her head. "Don't apologize. This was pretty fun, and we had nothing to do anyway. It was nice to spend time together in a smaller group."

Sinon stared at her, slightly dumbfounded. No one had said something so kind to her ever.

"I'm so glad I met Kirito last month, and didn't tell him to shove off when he asked directions."

The black haired swordsman snickered. "Aren't we all. I would probably still be wandering around lost on level one," he mumbled. "But most importantly, we would have never made another amazing friend."

* * *

><p>~Meanwhile~<p>

The scrawny teenager looked left and right in the shadows before slipping into the office building. He took the stairs, moving as sliently as he could in the dark.

Finally, he stopped after the fourth set of steps, and opened the door that led from the stairwell to the workspaces. Most lights in the rooms were off, except for one at the end of the hall. The boy crept down the passage to the bright light shinning underneath the door. He knocked twice before opening it and slipping into the luminescence.

"I am back, Sempai."

The room was sparse with only a lamp, desk, and chair. The person who the young teen spoke to was sitting the chair and had his back to the entrance. Only the top of the man's head was visible.

"What did you find, Kazuki?"

The boy shifted his weight from foot to foot excitedly. "I saw some Knights of the Blood Oath guild members. They came into the same bar I was at."

This made the seated man turn around. He looked at the boy with warm eyes, as if they were related, though they did not look at all alike. The younger boy was thinner and had chocolatey brown hair. Even though the older one only appeared to be about 17, he was tall and strong with dull red hair and an intelligent disposition. He gave off an aura of brilliance.

"Are you certain that you have found the right people. Did you talk to them?" the crimson haired man asked.

Kazuki hesitated. "I talked to them, but I think I scared the girl. I can't complete confirm that they were in Sword Art Online."

"Don't ever say the name of that death game," the older teen hissed, his face pained. "We have to be certain that they were part of that backstabbing guild before we take action."

He stood up and walking in front of the shorter boy, who looked at him with idolizing eyes.

"You must follow them until you are certain that they are cowards who broke apart our family."

Kazuki nodded determinedly. "I will, Senpai. I will find the truth."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N **

**Hi all! Sorry if this took longer to upload, I've been having writers block on my next chapter. Please tell me what you think in the comments. And the town name meens Steel Labyrinth in German. **

_Disclaimer: I still don't own SAO. If I did there would be more than one new episode a week. _

~Floor Eighteen: Town of Stahll Dickicht~

"Achoo!"

Kirito sneezed and sighed, brushing his hair out of his face. Apparently even in a virtual reality MMO, he could still get sick if his actual body was sick. It was probably the one change he wished the creators of GHO hadn't made.

His sister and Asuna looked at him, worried. "Maybe you should log out and sleep?" Leafa suggested.

Kirito shook hid head. "Nah I'm fine. Besides, my real body is resting."

Asuna rolled her eyes at him. They had been attempting to clear the eighteenth level for a few days now, but had failed to find the starting location of the main quest. The city was huge and metropolitan, and it was very easy to get lost. All the buildings looked the same, with tall grey walls and windows.

Kirito knew that they were right in the middle of the town, but he had no other sense of direction. He was as clueless as everyone else.

There was one way for the party to pass Floor Eighteen quickly and without injury. But he had been avoiding it.

"Unless we want to waste more time here, we have no choice. Let's go to the Burning Phoenix," Kirito declared.

Though they all sighed and looked disappointed, there was no disagreement.

The Burning Phoenix was a guild. It was arguable on of the most powerful guilds in the game, with some very high level players. Their base was in the Town of Stahll Dickicht, in one of the tall dark buildings. The guild was known for helping players fight and change floors, but in exchange for something.

Kirito had no idea of where the headquarters may be. After whispering to Asuna, he walked a few feet away to where a dark-skinned and tattooed man stood.

"Excuse me, can you point me in the direction of the Burning Phoenix building?"

The man looked down at him and glared. Then, he saw the group of players behind the younger boy and sighed. "Go straight down that street," he said, pointing behind Kirito. "It is the building right in front of you at the end of the road."

"Thank you!" Asuna called.

Kirito walked back to his group of friends, and darted leading them down the dimly lit street. The shadows stretched out and almost seemed to jump at them. Kirito felt the hair on his neck stand up, he felt like he was being watched. Everything in this strange city had eyes.

Finally, the small group reached the dead end and, sure enough, there was a large building with lights in front of them. They walked up the the large double doors, and Sinon pushed them open and entered first. Some players were walking around and talking by the entrance. One female player walked over as Sinon entered.

"Hello, what can the Burning Phoenix guild do for your party?" the woman asked.

Sinon glanced back at Kirito before stating, "We would like help to pass Floor Eighteen."

* * *

><p>"I see. We can help you, but first we will need something in exchange." The leader of the guild was sitting in the center of the table with sub leaders surrounding her. She was very pretty, with long silvery hair and fair skin.<p>

Kirito nodded at her. "We are prepared to help your guild with anything it may need."

The woman, her name was Misaki, smiled. "We have a deal."

A group of ten led Kirito and his friends out of the building and onto the cold streets. They walked wordlessly, trying not to draw attention from anything that may be lurking in the gloom. Or anybody.

Unknown to the players, a shadow with brown hair and dark eyes was following them. He moved silently, and stayed a street length away from the mass of people. But, he was still close enough to hear what the leader of the guild said.

"We are going to enter a dungeon. It is underground and very big, so stay together. Basically, the dungeon is a maze, with walls that move every few days. My second in command entered it yesterday, and has yet to come out. We are here to find him."

They were standing at the top of what looked like a subway tunnel. There were stairs leading down, but Kirito could not see the bottom.

"We should probably spilt up into groups of two or three," he recomnded.

Misaki nodded. "That's a good idea. Everyone, get into pairs or threes."

Kirito moved closer to Asuna and put his hand on her shoulder. Klein, Leafa, and Sinon looked at each other and formed a group. They were the first to enter, with everyone else following behind.

Kirito and Asuna took the path that went straight, and the other groups split off in different directions. After a minute, a shadowed figure followed them.

Kazuki smirked as he watched the pair. They were making it too easy for him to follow them and listen in on their conversation. He just had to wait until they said something to confirm if they were in SAO.

Kirito and Asuna, unaware of their tracker, walked holding hands. They did not speak, preferring to pay attention to their surroundings.

On the left side of the tunnel, there was a river that looked to be man made. Actually, Kirito was pretty sure that the whole underground dungeon was designed like a sewer. There was not much else besides the water. Only the concrete walls and floors.

After ten minutes of walking and not seeing anybody Asuna commented, "This seems like a hard floor. I don't understand why a guild would want to have its headquarters here."

Kirito shrugged. "Well, they could probably make money from players who wanted help passing the level."

"True," Asuna agreed. "But still.."

"But still it would feel strange to stay in a place like this, an abandoned city after where we lived," he continued her sentence.

She nodded, he knew exactly what she had been thinking.

Far behind but still close enough to hear the echoes of their voices, Kazuki leaned forward anxiously. He wanted someone to hurry up and say something so he could go through with his plan. And, being this far underground was making him anxious.

"Sometimes, I mean I know it's weird, but sometimes I miss SAO, Kirito," Asuna whispered, embarrassed.

He shook his head. "Yeah, I understand what you mean. I met so many people there that I never bothered to get to know well, and sometimes I wonder how they are doing now. It was just so surreal, the world was so different."

Kazuki froze. They were in Sword Art Online. They had been trapped in the game. And he remembered everything now that he knew the boy's name. He was Kirito, she was Asuna, AKA the Flash. They had been in The Knights of The Blood Oath, and they had done nothing to help his guild in that fight.

It was time to start his plan.

Kazuki pulled up his menu, and hit his skills icon. He only had one special skill, which he clicked on. Then, he stepped out of the shadows and aproached his targets.

Asuna was closest to him. Kazuki drew his black sword and raised it high above his head. He tensed and was about to swing when...

"Move!" Kirito yelled, shoving Asuna farther down the tunnel.

She turned to look at him, annoyed. "Why did you do that?"

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I thought I saw a weapon."

Kazuki cursed silently. Even though his cloak of invisibility always hid his body, it did not always hide his sword. Right before he would strike, the metal was visible to anyone watching.

He waited until Kirito and Asuna turned around and started walking away before he prepared his sword. His goal was not to kill, but to warn and wound them.

This time, Kazuki lept towards Kirito. He moved quickly, trying to stab the fellow swordsman's leg. But in a whirl of motion and a flash of light, there was a blade to parry his stroke. Kirito drew back and thrusted his sword, but only sliced through air. Next to him, Asuna drew her rapier to protect herself.

"Who are you, you coward? Show your face so we can have an even fight!" Kirito yelled furiously, scanning the area around him.

Kazuki burst out laughing. "You're calling me a coward? Wow are you incorrect. So many of my friends did not have a fair fight or chance because of you. Now you don't get one."

Kirito and Asuna moved until they were standing back to back. "Who are you?" he shouted.

"Who am I? You should be asking who are we," Kazuki responded.

"We are the people who keep fighting. We are the people who want justice for all the wronged. We are your worst nightmare."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited. Sorry this took so long to update. I'm just feeling a loss in motivation, so it might take longer to post than usual. Anyways, please keep reading. **

_Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Sword Art Online. _

_"We are your worst nightmare!"_

With that shout, Kazuki lunged foreword and slashed Kirito in the arm. He raised his sword to stab him against, when his meessage alert went off. His Senpai was calling.

Kazuki sprinted away from the two former SAO players. He ran into the shadows, and stopped after a minute to catch his breath. Then, he logged out of the game.

He woke up in his apartment. Or really it was the apartment that Senpai had bought for him. Kazuki's parents had died when he was really little. He had be switched from foster family to foster family, until he stole a copy of Sword Art Online and created his character. After he woke up, his guild leader had bought him this place.

Kazuki quickly got off his bed. He didn't want to keep the man he idolized waiting.

He dashed out the door and down the stairs, onto the empty streets. It was 2:00 and everyone was at school or work. Except him, of course.

His Sempai had a lot of money. Even though he never admitted it, it was obvious. He lived in a huge mansion with beautiful furnishings.

Kazuki walked up to the front door, and rang the bell. The gesture was useless, because he had a key. It was just to warn his former guild leader that he was entering.

After opening the door he jogged into the living room, where the older teen was sitting at the table.

"Sempai!" he gasped out. "I am certain, they were in SAO."

The crimson haired man smiled at Kazuki. "Didn't I tell you to call me by my real name, not that formality?"

"Yes Sem...Takashi," he blushed a light shade of pink, embarrassed.

Takashi grinned wider, before his face turned serious. "You are sure? Did you pass on our message?"

"Yes, I did. I started to attack, but the male, Kirito, saw my blade and doged. l still manages to hit him, but he was aware of my presence."

Takashi sighed. "I suppose even an invisibility cloak can not hide a weapon." He stood up and placed his hand on Kazuki's shoulder.

"I am proud of you. You have done well."

* * *

><p>~Meanwhile on Floor Eighteen~<p>

"I am so, so sorry. We shouldn't have split up," Leafa-chan repeated as her brother fixed his torn clothes. Klein and Sinon watched him with worried eyes.

Kirito shook his head. "None of us expected to get hurt."

Asuna and him had exited the maze right after their attacker had disappeared. They had sent alerts to Sinon, Klein, and Leafa as soon as they reached the open air. Within minutes, the party was all together and outside the labyrinth.

"This man...are you sure he is the same one we met in that bar weeks ago?" Klein asked.

Kirito nodded confidently. "He said he is 'fighting for those who have been wronged.' That could only mean in Sword Art Online. And anyways, I could never forget that voice."

"We should leave this floor as soon as possible," Asuna suggested. "I have a feeling that the boy who attacked us will come back soon."

They all agreed. All they wanted was to get off this level as soon as possible. Luckily, there was two ways for them to do so. Everyone knew the first one, which was to complete the quest. The second way was much more expensive, but it would take much less time. Kirito knew how to pay the in-game money to skip the floor.

He pulled up his menu and hit the options icon. Then he hit: _Skip Current Floor. _A message popped up.

_Player Kirito, would you like to use your group bank account to pay for your party's level passes?_

Kirito hit accept, and soon everyone got a notification that they could go to Floor Nineteen. But no one felt like staying in GHO any longer.

"How about we meet up in real life at the Dicey Cafe. We can discuss this with Agil, that way," Asuna suggested.

"That's a good idea," Sinon mumbled. "See you guys there."

One by one, they all logged out of their avatars, and disappeared from the game's servers. Kirito was the last to go, giving the empty buildings around him one final suspicious look.

A blinding light flashed, and then he was back to reality. Kirito opened his eyes, but spots swam across his eyes at the sudden movement. Slowly, he squinted in the afternoon brightness. He heard his door open, and a shadow fell over him.

"Come on, Onii-chan. I don't want arrive last."

Suguha grabbed his arm and pulled until he sat up, groaning. She threw a pair of shoes at him, which he barely managed to catch.

"Hurry up!"

He sighed and put on his socks and shoes faster. When he finished, Sugu was already waiting for him by the front door. She flung open the door and hopped on her bike, peddling away from him.

"Hey! No fair!" he called, getting on his own bike. She giggled as he attempted to catch up to her.

They rode side to side until the lit up sign of the Dicey Cafe became visible. Then, they slowed down to a stop. There was already three other bikes outside the coffee shop's s entrance.

"Darn it, we're last," Sugu muttered as Kitito opened the door.

All of their friends were already clustered together sitting on one of the booths. They were drinking tea, and appeared to be waiting for the brother and sister. Kirito quickly hurried over and slid next to Asuna on the smooth leather. Agil rushed over with a glass of water before pulling up a chair. The dark-skinned man looked at him expectantly.

"So, what happened? Why did you want to meet here?" he asked the group.

They looked at eachother uncertainly. Finally, Kirito opened his mouth. "About a week ago we ran into this guy at a bar. He accused Asuna and I of being part of the Knights of the Blood Oath."

"He said some other nasty things about the guild," Asuna added.

"Well," Kirito continued, "Today while we were in an underground dungeon he attacked Asuna and I. He also mentioned that there are more people who feel the same way about the KoB."

Agil frowned. "Could this person who attacked you actually hurt your real body?"

Sinon leaned forward, happy to discuss something that she knew the answer to. Even though she never admitted it, she was a nerd about technology. "No, when the creators of the Amusphere made it, they put in safety precautions so nothing like SAO could ever happen again."

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Klein. "Because I, for one, would not like to abandon the game just because some idiot hates me."

"I agree, but I don't want any of you getting hurt," Sugu declared.

Kirito stood up. "We are going to go back into Guardians of Heaven Online. What if that boy tries to attack other players? We can't allow that to happen."

They all agreed with his statement. No one was leaving the game.

"Hai!"

"But, I think we've all had enough gaming today," Asuna said. "Why don't we do something together here? We can call Lisbeth and Silica, too."

When no one disagreed, she stood up from the table to call her pink haired best friend. Kirito wondered what they could do. Maybe just talk? It had been a few weeks since they were all together face to face. Asuna returned, smiling. "They will both be here in five."

They small group sat silently, comfortable in eachother's presence. After a certain amount of time, the bell for the cafe door rang. Lisbeth and Silica entered side by side, grinning when they spotted their friends.

"I feel like I haven't seen you guys in forever," the blacksmith exclaimed.

Silica ran over to Suguha and grabbed her hand. "Hi Sugu-chan!"

The black haired girl bent down to hug her friend. They walked back to the table, and all squeezed into the booth. "So, what do you want to do?" Klein asked.

"I know, I know!" the small Cait-Sith bounced up and down as much as she could while sitting. "I want to go laser-tagging!"

* * *

><p>Kirito smiled as he strapped on his gear. The plastic body armor first, and then his fake gun. It had been years since he had done this, years before he had entered Sword Art Online. But, he did remember enjoying the activity.<p>

"Are you ready?" he called over to Asuna.

She lifted up her gun and pointed it at her boyfriend. "Of course."

They entered the walled area, and were immediately plunged in darkness. Kirito sprinted away from his friends, they had decided that playing solo would be more fun than in a group.

He ran until he reached a staircase which he took. He kneeled and pointed downwards to get a good shot at anyone who would come by. Kirito slowed his breathing so no one would hear him.

After a minute, Klein walked into his line of vision. Kirito shifted his body slightly. _1..2..3.._

"No!" a shrill scream bounced off the walls of the enclosed space.

Kirito stood up and flung himself in the direction of the yell. He recognized the voice. It was Sinon.


	10. Chapter 10

****A/N****

****Hiya! It's ********OtakuAsunaXKirito********. I just wanted to quickly give a huge thanks my two besties ********IcyFlameOtaku********and ********Blaze of Madness********for helping me with the beginning of this chapter, and urging me to keep writing it (I seriously just stopped writing for like two weeks). They did most of the middle part.****

_Disclaimer: I don't own SAO. Credit to IcyFlameOtaku for some of the ideas in this chapter. _

_She was frozen, unable to move. It was only a plastic gun, but in her mind it wasn't. It was a small hand gun with real bullets. Pointed right at her once again, she was back in that post office all those years ago. _

"Sinon!"

Asuna ran in front of her frozen friend, and put her hands on her shoulders. She slowly pulled the terrified girl into a hug.

"Shh, shh," she murmured, stroking the shorter girl's hair. "It's okay."

Kirito and Klein arrived at the same time, shocked at the sight of their now sobbing friend. _What happened?_

"What's wrong?" Asuna asked Sinon gently.

The small girl flinched. "I don't know. I looked up and saw someone pointing their gun at me and it triggered a flashback..."

Kirito rushed over to stand next to her. "Who was it?

Sinon bit her lip, trembling slightly. "I don't know, it was dark. He disappeared."

They heard footsteps and turned around to see Suguha, Silica, and Lisbeth weaving their way through the maze to them. They all looked relieved after seeing that Sinon was not injured.

"Can we..can we go please?" she mumbled once their small group was surrounding her.

"Of course." Sugu went to stand by her friend. "Let's leave," she declared, grabbing the brown haired girl's hand. She pulled her over to the exit while everyone else followed.

The sun was blinding outside and Kirito squinted. "What do you want to do now?" he asked Sinon carefully.

She looked down at the ground. "I just want to go home."

* * *

><p>~A couple days later~<p>

"Link start!"

Kirito had been looking forward to Floor 24 for a long time. If the rumors were to be believed, it was the one with the best design, the best shops, and, of course, the most opportunities to earn coins.

Looking around him, his breath caught in his throat. He stood on a sprawling beach, sinking slightly into the blindingly white sand. The startlingly clear turquoise waves shyly slid up to him, retreating immediately after making contact with his boots. A small girl dressed in a tank top and shorts sprinted past him, her orange hair flying in the wind.

"Arisa-chan, Arisa-chan!"

The girl came to a halt next to another girl, Arisa, who was, if possible, even shorter than the one standing above her.

"Mika-chan! Look, I finished my sand castle!" Arisa waved at the mound of sand she was sitting next to.

Mika plopped down beside her and stuck a red flag into Arisa's mound.

"Now you're done!"

A wave snuck up to the two girls, wetting the sand castle and making it crumble.

"Aww, now we have to start over!"

Dragging his eyes away from the girls and the cawing seagulls perched on thick palm trees, he turned towards the other players, who were meandering about and chatting to one another.

"Come buy your scuba gear here! Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the glorious fish of Floor 24!"

Kirito flinched as the advertisement blasted his eardrums. Whoever had yelled was way to close to his face. He looked sideways and at the girl holding a large spinning sign. It read: _Discount!_

The teenage boy mentally shrugged and and strolled over to the swim store. He had nothing better to do, after all. The slight breeze mused up his hair as he walked.

"Excuse me?"

He was standing in front of the female player who was advertising the shop. She jumped, startled by his voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Is there something you would like?" she asked in a friendly manner.

"I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the best coral reefs in the area?" Kirito knew that most sea creatures lived among the underwater habitats. And what better way to spend his day than sightseeing-

An elbow was pushed into his back. Hard.

The male teen stumbled foreward, almost falling on his face. He straightened up swiftly and looked over his shoulder, ready to yell at whoever had bumped into him and not apologized. Instead, he was faced with a crowd of people surging past him towards...

what?

From where he was standing, Kirito could not tell what they were rushing towards. It appeared to be a poster, but he could not be certain unless he got a closer look.

"Sorry..." he called apologetically, already feet away from the girl. This was more important than anything else he could do at the moment.

He jogged over the mass of gamers that was already forming. Because of his small built, the lithe male managed to squeeze in between the bodies to the front. What he had spotted was an interface connected with the MMO's servers so that is displayed news and new announcements. The whole screen was lighting up, which indicated a new addition or something else important to the game. As soon as he realized that, words started to form.

_Attention all players. _

_This is a notification for all fighting gamers. _

_There will be a duel tournament on Friday, November 25. It will be occurring on the 25th Floor and anyone who is interested may come. All weapons are allowed, as well as all unique skills. The tournament will continue until the finals. The reward for the victor will happen right after the last match. The winner's level will increase as well as speed and accuracy. The winner will also get 10,000 coins. _

_Anyone who wishes to participate must send a message to the game makers before tomorrow. _

_Good luck!_

Kirito raised his eyebrows. It was not what he had expected, but the idea was not unwelcome. He could do with some intensive practice to hone his sword skills. Of course, that was if anyone was even on his level. Maybe his was something everyone could have fun on. Suguha had mentioned not long ago that she wished they could challenge fellow players more often. Asuna, Klein, and Sinon would most likely battle too, if he did. His next few days were beginning to sound a lot more interesting.

The black haired boy glanced once again at the deadline. Thursday. That meant he would have to log out and inform everyone immediately so that they would all have time to enter Guardians of Heaven and send their RSVPs to the game servers.

He pulled up his menu quickly and faded from the game after pressing on the button. The brilliant colors of the sandy shores became dull, before the blackness encompassed everything.

Then, awareness. The gamer boy's room was dark because of his closed drapes, which helped the transition from the virtual world to reality. Kirito would be content to stay in this position all day and just go back to sleep. Yes, he knew he was lazy. But for now he had a mission.

Kirito slipped off of his bed, letting his bare feet touch the cold wood of the floor. He shivered and realized how low the temperature was in his house. He would definitely turn the thermometer up. At that moment, he turned to look in his mirror. Black jeans and a faded tee shirt was suitable enough for public viewing. All he has to do was grab a sweatshirt and shoes.

The game obsessed boy rushed out of his bedroom and to the closet where his jackets were, almost slipping on the slick floors. Then he shoved his feet into a pair of Vans and dashed out the door.

It was midday and sunny, which was odd for the time of year. It was blinding and made him squint as he ran down his street. Sinon's apartment was not far, but he still needed to take the bus. His body was still getting used to being active for extended periods of time. Two years had done a lot of damage.

Thankfully, he had made it to the bus stop just as it was preparing to leave. Kirito hopped on and sat in the closest seat, closing his eyes to slow his sporadic gasps.

* * *

><p>Kirito felt blissfully unaware listening to the thrum of the engine. It was soothing to his tired ears.<p>

"Excuse me, um..."

The teen snapped his eyes open, glaring in the direction of the person who had poked him. The look on his face changed instantly when he caught sight of her. He knew they had never met, and that she must be quite bewildered. But it was still a knife to his heart.

The girl who had touched him looked like somebody from a past life. Someone who had been dear to him. Someone who he had made promises to, then failed to protect. She was dead because of him. Short black hair, bangs, and light blue eyes.

Sachi.

The stranger's arm brushed against his as she leaned forward, face mixed between worry and confusion. Kirito felt terrible suddenly.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "it's just, you look like my old friend."

The midnight haired girl shook her head shyly. "It's okay. It's just that we are getting close to the first stop and I don't want you to miss it if you are getting off."

Actually, there were already pulling in to the stop and people around him were standing. He quickly thanked her before darling off the vehicle. It was about one o'clock now, and he wanted everyone to be together when he explained the event.

Sinon's home was in the building directly in front of him. Kirito pushed the doors open and started speed walking up the stairs. He preferred not to go into in closed spaces, like elevators. The impatient boy sprinted down the hallway once he reached her floor. Then, he reached the entrance. Apartement number 63B. He took a deep breath before knocking. It was time to talk about his plan.

Kirito knew he was ready. Ready to challenge, ready to fight, ready to win.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

**Finally, I can write this! This idea has been killing me with anticipation, literally. (Haha not really, my English teacher would freak) I'm so thankful for all my dedicated readers, I love you all in a totally non creepy way. Please keep giving me feedback. I might have posted another fic, so check it out! ****Warning for language**

**IcyAutumnFlame: Hey! You got to give me credit! I thought of this idea! Although I'm to lazy to write it! :P**

**Blaze of Madness: Ignore the two idiots. Besides, Icy/Autumn/whatever you wanted to be called, didn't she give you credit last chapter?**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online, Kirito and Asuna, or the event in this chapter. What has my life come to?_

"Who is it? It's open."

That voice could belong to the one and only Kirigaya Suguha. His sister was the singular person careless enough to tell a random kid that the door was unlocked. She could be a real dimwit sometimes. But, he loved her anyways.

Kirito shoved the painted slab of wood out of his was to enter the cozy space. He continued past the kitchen to the living room, where his companions were sprawled on the carpet. The television was on in the background, some soap opera characters blabbing onscreen as he scanned over the high school aged students.

Sugu. Klein. Asuna. Lisbeth.

Sinon was missing. Just as he was about to ask a question, the door of her bedroom opened and the brown haired girl stepped out. She had changed clothes into a pair of pyjama shorts and a gray tank top. Obviously, she was quite tired.

The object of his attention squinted and adjusted her glasses. "Oh, hey, Kirito. When did you get here?"

"Only a few seconds ago," he responded.

She nodded, accepting his answer easily. Stretching her arms up, she plopped onto the rug next to everyone else and signaled for him to join them. Grinning, he lowered himself to the ground by Asuna. There was silence for a few seconds.

"Wait..I thought you had decided to log back in to GHO because you had free time?" Klein remembered him using those exact words.

Kirito nodded. "Yeah I did. But there is something going on that I thought some of you might want to participate in. If you don't want me to tell you though, that's fine too." He chuckled silently as his best friend shook his head rapidly, taking back his question. Everyone care about whatever had piqued the Swordsman's interest.

The gaming legend took a breath before beginning to speak rapidly. His excitement was palpable.

"On Friday, there's going to be a, um, tournament. Duels and everything between players. On the 25th Floor. I really want to do it."

He looked at them pleadingly, almost asking permission. Asuna giggled and reached over to take his hand in hers. "You Baka, you don't need to ask to compete in a fight." Then, she turned to face the others. "I don't know about you guys, but this sound like fun. I'm in."

"The Flash is going to fight, anyone else," Kirito joked, causing his girlfriend to blush.

"Well, I think it's time to show off my amazing skills," Klein declared.

Suguha and Sinon sighed at his fake arrogance. He could really be stupid sometimes. "I think we are all going to sign up, then. When do we have to do that?"

The dual blade wielder beamed at his friends. Loyal to the end. "We should probably send a message to the game makers right away. The last day is tomorrow."

After receiving a quick nod from Sinon, he leaned over her computer and started typing. Guardians of Heaven Online. He logged onto his account and immediately assessed his menu. Then, he started forming his application email. He sent his own, then did the same for his party members. After about fifteen minutes, he had finished.

"Done! So, do you guys want to practice our skills?"

Kirito was laying in bed and starring at his clock. It read 7:55

His sister, Asuna, Klein, and Sinon and agreed to sign on at exactly eight and to meet right away on the Level 25. There was a main fighting rings in the center of town, with multiple smaller ones surrounding it. Around the designated duel areas were places where fellow gamers could watch.

This event was going to be huge, he knew it. A very large number were competing and out of those many wanted to win. But the Sword Art Online survivor always liked uphill battles.

7:59:45

He waiting, breath abated.

7:59:55

And...time.

Kirito closed his eyes while simultaneously uttering the fateful words that every video game obsessed kid could say in their dreams. "Link start!"

The process of entering the virtual world seemed to speed up, increased with his anticipation. In seconds, he was standing on solid ground. Luckily, he had appeared nearby where he was going to meet everyone. Only about a hundred feet away from the gamemaker's table. The admin players were there to assign matches.

Kirito jogged over to the tent and scrolled on the screen to find his name. _Kirito_

He clicked on the check next to it, before scanning the surrounding area. Knights, Samurais, and other players with their weapons were spread out flipping through their menus or socializing. He didn't feel inclined to do either at the moment.

Instead, the swordsman dragged his feet over to the nearest tree and slumped against it. Slowly he let himself slide to the ground in a heap of black. Out of boredom, he pulled up his own interface. Coincidentally his message alert went off at that exact moment. He opened it without a pause, curious who send it.

_To: Kirito-kun_

_Gomennasai, I was held up by my mom and got started a little late. I will be there soon though. I can't wait, this is so exhilarating!_

_From: Asuna-san_

"Kirito! Kirito!" He startled and looked up to see his sister hurrying over to him, her blond hair flowing behind. She leaned over to slow her heartbeat once she reached him. "Thank god I found you."

He raised his eyebrows at her comment. "You encountered some trouble?"

She looked slightly messy, her hair was wind blown and frizzy. Bur she shrugged, brushing it off. "I got a little lost, but that doesn't matter. I'm guessing that no one else has arrived- "

"Hey Leafa-chan, Kirito-kun. I'm not here last!" The female huffed inannoyance at the reddish brown haired man's appearance. "Whatever, Klein."

Kirito turned to search through the forming crowd of players for Sinon and Asuna-san. They needed to find eachother quickly. However, the voice of the loudspeaker made him stop looking. Stressed, he turned towards the main point of noise.

"Attention All Players. The Duel Tournament is about to start. Please line up in order to find out the name of your first match. Thank you for participating."

_~A couple hours later~_

The Black Swordsman looked down at the name his next assigned fight. It seemed strangely familiar, but he could not place it. He had the oddest feeling...

All of his other battles had been fairly easy. Mostly novice players who just wanted experience, or medium level ones who had not posed much of a challenge. It had actually only been around four hours since he had enter the virtual reality, and four hours of consecutive wins.

But for some reason Kirito had a strange feeling in his stomach. It was similar to the times when he dreamt of still being in Sword Art Online, of being powerless, of dying. But he brushed the feeling. Intuition was strange concept. But he could not stop the slight twist of anticipation his body did unwillingly.

The lit up screen still displayed the same message, same words, same player.

_Kazuki Kyo. _

Kirito finally clicked on the name, and felt the instant teleport start. A second later he opened his eyes and found himself standing in a fighting ring. Groups of cheering gamers were shouting in excitement at his appearance. This must be important if there was this many people, none of his pervious matches had spectators.

So the champion turned to look at his opponent who was smirking at the shouting masses.

His stomach dropped. It was _him. _

Kirito only knew one thing at the moment: He was screwed.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

**Hellooo guys! So, this might be the last chapter of GHO. I hope you liked it!Thanks for the reviews and everything blah blah... I'm sorry I've been taking a long time to write these chapters. Check out my new HP/ PJO fic ****The Immortal Prophecies****!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online, credit goes to Reki Kawahata. _

"Hello, _Kirito._"

The sneer was obvious in the tone of voice his opponent used. The black swordsman responded with a grim smile.

"Hello Kazuki. Are you ready to lose?"

Pesks of laughter followed his words. "I think you are mistaken. _I _will be the victor today."

Kirito shifted into a fighting position and pulled out his blade. "Are you ready to prove that, or do you just want to talk all day?"

The brown haired man grinned. "Let's battle."

He made the first move by lunging at Kirito, sword outstretched. However, he was to slow to stab his opponent, who whirled out of the way.

The SAO survivor narrowed his eyes. "Is that all you've got?" After those words, he leaped into the air and slashed downwards at Kazuki, shouting. The other make paried his blow, and retaliated quickly with a strike of his own.

Metal against metal, even in a virtual game, made a horrible clanging sound. They were equally matched, playing a game of back and forth. Neither could get a solid hit on the other.

They both knew this would be a long and difficult match.

* * *

><p><em>~Meanwhile in the real world~<em>

A familiar crimson haired man was leaning over a computer, grinning manically. Now was the time for him to end everything. To make them understand the pain of just _ending_, disappearing from a reality.

Takashi had never explained his full plan to his apprentice. Kazuki had the right motives, and wanted revenge. He had been a useful pawn.

Every moment from here on had been meticulously planned out. Because, there was a glitch in the programming of Guardians of Heaven Online: the Duel Mode. While players where participating in a tournament, the servers were focusing on keeping track of scores and hits. That left them completely open to hackers like himself.

He was going to infiltrate the MMO's players list and do a little...editing. Give the traitors a taste of their own medicine.

Takashi began furiously typing in lines and lines of code, and finally logged in as admin for the game. He only had to find the names of two people. They were the ones who caused the most harm, the ones who could have saved his guild. They deserved to die.

He would get the final revenge.

The genius was now staring a the search bar. Slowly and precise, he entered two names. It would take time for the process to kick in, but after it started it would not stop.

He was so ready for this moment.

_Kirito (The Black Sw__ordsman)_

_Asuna (The Flash)_

_Delete Time: 60 minutes _

_Enter._

* * *

><p><em>~At the Tournament~<em>

Leafa, Klein, Sinon and Asuna were all watching the duel from the sidelines. They all were too anxious to talk much, instead just pacing back and forth.

Finally Asuna mumbled, "This shouldn't be happening. That man attacked us, and now Kirito is willingly fighting him?"

"Our swordsman can handle himself," Klein responded, "But I understand what you are saying."

"He should have pulled out."

They all looked at Leafa in surprise as her voice cracked. She had tears silently running down her face. "Look at him. They've been going at it for an hour at least, and he is obviously exhausted. What if...what if he gets beaten?"

The silence that followed her words was deafening. Asuna swallowed back her own feelings, trying to sound strong. "No, we need to stop thinking like this. He is going to win."

That second, the lithe player dodged his opponent's weapon and moved into closer rage. He swung his sword at Kazuki's shoulder, but his shot was deflected. It shook and hit the other player on the side of his head.

Kazuki stumbled, loosing his balance. He felt sudden, sharp bursts of pain from his temple. It was odd, considering they were in a virtual reality.

However, the dizziness passed quickly and he straightened back up. Kirito was waiting a couple feet away. "What, are you a coward?"

The black swordsman shook his head. "No, I'm just don't like hitting someone when their back is turned!"

With that shout, he sprinted towards the other boy. Just as he was about to swing his blade, his foot caught on a rock.

He tripped.

The stone ground was hard and bruised his shoulder as he landed. He desperately rolled, trying to get away from his talented opponent. However, it was futile. He was pinned down by a heavy foot, and couldn't move.

"Well, this was fun. I won't be seeing you here again." Kazuki laughed and raised his weapon to stab Kirito.

But before he could, the dark haired boy felt an odd tingling sensation in his hands. He glanced at them in surprise, which turned to shock.

They were...fading.

His fingers slowly disappeared into blue shards of light as he watched in horror. Kazuki froze before starting to back away. "What's going on?" he gasped.

A scream that echoed through the floor made his blood freeze. It was Asuna. He searched the tournament area desperately until he spotted her. She was holding up her hands, which were also disappearing quickly.

"ASUNA!" he called out desperately. She looked at him then, salty droplets streaming down her face. The light around her was increasing, he couldn't see her legs or torso anymore. The only thing visible was her face, and she mouthed three words before bursting into splinters of sky.

_I love you. _

He could feel his own body start to tremble, and knew that whatever just happened to his girlfriend was happening to him to. He closed his eyes, prepared.

_I love you, too. _

Kirito didn't feel anything. He wasn't falling or being pushed upwards, and he wasn't standing on anything. He was just suspended in darkness. Mindlessly, he wondered if he would stay like this for the rest of his life.

Thankfully, after an immeasurable amount of time, the highschool age boy could feel his body reawaken and his senses return. He struggled for a second before managing to make his finger twitch.

That meant he could move other parts of his body. Particularly, his face.

Kirito snapped his eyes open, blinking rapidly. He was alive. He was back in his house, lying on his back, but he was alive.

After gathering his thoughts, he took a deep breath and mumbled two short words. He was very confused over the events of the last couple hours. "Link start" seemed to be the only way he could get an answer for whatever power outage or malfunction had occurred.

Except for the fact that nothing happened.

"I am sorry, but it appears that you do not have an avatar made. Would you like to start playing Guardians of Heaven Online?"

"What?!" he shouted, not caring if any neighbors heard him.

"I am sorry, I did not hear your answer clearly. Do you wish to continue?"

"What the hell!" Kirito cursed in fury at the situation. His whole account had been obliterated. He yanked the amusphere off his head, and sat straight up.

Reaching for his cellphone by the bed, he dialed Asuna's number. She picked up on the first ring. "Kirito? What's going on?"

He stood and started pacing, a cold sweat forming on his body. "I don't know. I can't log in, my account isn't there as an option anymore."

"Neither is mine," the light brown haired girl agreed.

This must have been a huge mistake. Why would this happen again ther than that? Kirito's thoughts triggered a memory and he flashed back in time. _"We are fighting for those who have been wronged...we are your worst nightmare!"_

An idea occurred to him then. It was horrible and twisted, and he hoped he was wrong. But it seemed the most likely option.

This had been a form of revenge. For letting players die in Sword Art Online, someone had killed his avatar in the new MMORPG. It had been all for payback.

He quickly explained his theory to Asuna, realizing that he had been silent for too long. She added that it would make sense to pull a stunt like that while the gamer was distracted, such as fighting or on a quest.

Kirito sighed, disappointed in himself. How could he have not seen this coming?

"Well, at least we know what not to do this time around. Hacking and deleting someone's avatar is just stupid. How about we try to hide our previous identities better, also. Do you want to sign up now?"

He could almost see his closest friend nodding as her long locks bounced around her waist. "Hai!"

"I guess this is goodbye. Let's meet on the first floor, same place as on the first day. Okay?"

"Okay."


End file.
